ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs
Cabinet approves Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project Phase II
Comprising two corridors viz.  Motera Stadium to Mahatma Mandir and  GNLU to GIFT City
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the following proposals:
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- Implementation of Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project Phase-II, which comprises two corridors of total length 28.254 i.e. Corridor 1 from Motera Stadioum to Mahatma mandir for a length of 22.838 km. and Corridor 2 from GNLU to GIFT City for a length of 5.416 km at a total completion cost of Rs. 5384.17 crores.
- The institutional arrangement and legal framework for the project.
- Conditions of sanction of the project.
Benefits:
Implementation of the project will provided the much-needed additional public transport infrastructure to Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar.
Salient features:
To streamline the urban transportation system in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, which is stressed due to intensive developments, increase in the number of private vehicles and heavy construction in the city, putting stress on travel infrastructure and industrial activities, and by providing the people a safe, secure, reliable and comfortable public transport. The Metro Rail project itself is an innovation over the conventional system of urban transport. The project involves integration with other urban transport systems in an efficient and effective manner which is possible only by adopting innovative methods of designing, technology and institutional management.
AKT/SH
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Prime Minister's Office
PM condoles the passing away of former Andhra Pradesh CM Shri K. Rosaiah
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the passing away of the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri K. Rosaiah.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said;
"Saddened by the passing away of Shri K. Rosaiah Garu. I recall my interactions with him when we both served as Chief Ministers and later when he was Tamil Nadu Governor. His contributions to public service will be remembered. Condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti."
Ministry of Defence
Cabinet approves transfer of 7.118 acres of Defence land to Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan for construction of Kendriya Vidyalaya Number 2 Dhar Road in District Udhampur, Jammu & Kashmir
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the transfer of 56 kanals and 19 marlas  of Defence land on lease on long term basis for 30 years renewable for two like terms of 30 years each to Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan  for construction of KendriyaVidyalaya No. 2 at Udhampur, Jammu & Kashmir at a nominal rent of one rupee per annum.
Background:
At present, Kendriya Vidyalaya Number 2, Dhar Road, Udhampur has been functioning in temporary buildings ever since its inception in 1985. Presently, a total of 851 students are studying in Kendriya Vidyalaya Number 2, Dhar Road, Udhampur. Construction of own permanent school building by KVS will enable the school authorities to build optimal infrastructure to meet the educational requirements of the children of serving personnel.
President's Secretariat
Rashtrapati Bhavan Hosts A One-Day Meeting of Directors of 59 Central Institutes of Higher Learning
Rashtrapati Bhavan hosted a one-day meeting of directors of 59 institutes of higher learning in the fields of information technology, engineering science and technology, and planning and architecture, today . This is part of regular interactions of the President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, with such institutions in his capacity as visitor to 146 Central Universities and institutions of higher learning.
Speaking at the concluding session, the President said that the NIT system has been able to provide high quality technical education to talented students across the country. This network of institutes has taken the opportunity of engineering education to remote corners. NITs are critical to promoting technical education and research.
The President said that information technology has a pivotal role in today’s world. Our Institutes of Information Technology strive to create a unique meeting ground for the two fields of information technology and of management. They contribute significantly to research, teaching and extension work for the integrated application of information technology and management. In an age when IT is critical to almost all our endeavours, this is extremely valuable.
The President said that heads of these institutes have been gifted with the opportunity to shape the future of the youth of our country. Their work directly affects not only the future of their graduates but also the future of India. The young graduates from their institutes will be the torch-bearers of their generation. By giving them the right knowledge, the right values and the right ethics, the institutes are doing a service to our society.
Click here to see President's speech
PIB Headquarters
SwarnaJayanti Fellowship 2018-19 awarded to Dr. ShwetaAgrawal of IIT Madras: One among 14 awarded scientists
Dr. ShwetaAgrawal from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Chennai has been awarded SwarnaJayanti Fellowship 2018-19 for her research project which will study post quantum cryptography in the field of Cryptography and Information theory. Along with Dr. Shweta, the fellowship have been awarded to 14 Scientists associated with projects containing innovative research idea and with potential of making impact on R&D in the respective disciplines.
The fellowship will cover all the requirements for performing the research and include a fellowship of Rs 25,000/- per month as well as a research grant of 5 lakh Rupees for 5 years in addition to their salary.
SwarnaJayanti Fellowships are awarded by the Department of Science and Technology. Under this fellowship scheme a selected number of young scientists, with proven track record, are provided special assistance and support to enable them to pursue basic research in frontier areas of science and technology. The scientists, selected for the award through a rigorous three-tier process, will be allowed to pursue unfettered research with freedom and flexibility.
Out of the 443 applicants, 14 scientists have been finally selected this time for this scientist specific fellowship.
Ministry of Home Affairs
Shri Amit Shah congratulates Prime Minister for announcing the formation of Shri Ram Janma Bhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust
Union Minister for Home Affairs, Shri Amit Shah congratulated Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for the announcement of the formation of Shri Ram Janma Bhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, in the Parliament today. He said that this day is a day of immense joy and pride for the entire country. Home Minister said, "I congratulate the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for his commitment to the building of Lord Shri Ram temple, a symbol of India's belief and unwavering faith".
According to the order of the Supreme Court on Shri Ram Janmabhoomi, the Government of India has taken a historic decision today to form a trust in the name of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra, showing its commitment towards the construction of the grand temple of Lord Shri Ram in Ayodhya. Shri Shah said that Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust will have 15 trustees, out of which one trustee will always be from Dalit community. He said, "I congratulate the Prime Minister for many such unprecedented decisions that strengthen social harmony".
The Home Minister said that this trust will be completely free to take every decision related to the temple and 67 acres of land will be transferred to the trust. "I am confident that millions of people who were waiting for centuries will soon be able to see the grand temple of Lord Shri Ram at his birthplace", he said.
Ministry of Jal Shakti
Minister of State Jal Shakti, Sh Rattan Lal Kataria conducts a Review Meeting of CSMRS - Central Soil and Material Research Station.
The Institute is pioneer in Geotechnical Survey and Analysis. It provides consultancy to Strategic International projects like Punatsangchu , It plays a fundamental role under the DRIP Programme of Ministry of Jal Shakti.Mr Kataria interacted with the Scientists and lauded their efforts in taking India towards AtmaNirbhar Bharat.
Mr Rattan Lal kataria conducted a review meeting of the CSMRS, a state of the art Research institute which is famous for its core competency in Investigation, Consultancy and applied research in challenging Geo-technical environment in large scale Water resources projects. CSMRS is the only union organization dealing with soils, rocks, concrete, rockfill, geosynthetics and other materials for WR Projects.
The Institute plays a pivotal role in carrying out the investigation and analysis of the soil, rock and other geological parameters which is critical for the design and construction of large scale structures like Dams, Barrages, Water canals etc.
Mr Kataria informed that CSMRS is making silent yet significant contribution in almost every WR project of National and International importance for eg - Polavaram project, Andhra Pradesh, SardarSarovar Dam Project, BhaunratDam,U.P, Kholongchhu HE project, Bhutan, Punatsangchhu HE project,Bhutan, projects in Afghanistan and Myanmar etc.
Mr Kataria termed the institute as a symbol of India’s soft power and gave the credit for its success to the hardworking Scientists of the institutes. Mrkataria expressed satisfaction over the performance of the institute and commended the Scientists for surpassing the annual targets set for the year 2018-19,19-20. He lauded the immense contribution of Indian scientist community in meeting the evolving challenges faced by this Nation in the Global era. MrKataria affirmed that the Government firmly stands with the Scientist community.
Mr Kataria emphasized that CSMRS has an instrumental role to play in the Ongoing DRIP - Dam Rehabilitation & Improvement Project. He informed that the Government has allocated funds under the DRIP Project for procurement of cutting edge softwares and equipments for CSMRS. The Director of the Institute informed that 2 Softwares for real time Data Analysis and study of structural behavior during and post construction stages, namely FLAC 2F and RS2/PHASE 2 have been procured alongwith other equipments.
The Government has also provided Nod for specialized training and capacity building of CSMRS scientists at Swansea University,UK and Norwegian Geotechnical Institute Oslo, Norway. The meeting was attended by the Director CSMRS, Scientists of CSMRS and other administrative officials.
APS/MG/AS
Ministry of Defence
Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile successfully flight-tested off Odisha coast
Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile  system developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation  was successfully flight-tested from Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the Odisha coast at 1145 hrs today. The missile was flight-tested with full configuration in deployment mode intercepting the target mid-air, meeting the mission objectives. The entire event was monitored by Ground Telemetry Systems, Range Radar Systems, Electro Optical Tracking System etc.
The QRSAM weapon system, which operates on the move, comprises of fully automated Command and Control System, Active Array Battery Surveillance Radar, Active Array Battery Multifunction Radar and Launcher. Both radars are four-walled having 360-degree coverage with search on move and track on move capability. The system is compact with minimum number of vehicles for a firing unit. Single stage solid propelled missile has midcourse inertial navigation system with two-way data link and terminal active seeker developed indigenously by DRDO. The missile successfully engaged the aerial target establishing its capability. Director General  Shri MSR Prasad was present during the trial.
With this mission, the developmental trials of the weapon system are successfully completed and the weapon system is expected to be ready for induction by 2021.
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh and Secretary, Department of Defence R&D & Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy have congratulated the teams involved in the flight trials and development of QRSAM.
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
West Pakistan Refugees delegation meets Dr Jitendra Singh, discusses compensation issues
A delegation of West Pakistan Refugee Action Committee, led by its President Shri Labha Ram Gandhi, met the Union Minister of State  for Development of North Eastern Region , MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh here today and discussed compensation related and other issues with him.
Dr Jitendra Singh said the Union Government is in constant touch with the J&K State Government and instructions had been issued to simplify the procedure related to identification and other formalities to the maximum extent, so that the disbursement of compensation of Rs.5.5 lakh per family to West Pakistan Refugee  population could be undertaken at the earliest and could be completed without undue delay.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, even today he spoke with the concerned officers and it will be ensured that wherever a family was not able to produce documents mandated in the existing rules, a separate inquiry could be conducted by the concerned Deputy Commissioner to establish the claim of the said family and based on the information obtained and recorded by the Deputy Commissioner, the family could be declared as being West Pakistan Refugee and therefore eligible for the issue of relief / compensation accordingly.
It has also been decided, said Dr Jitendra Singh, to appoint a Nodal Officer for closer coordination and prompt disposal of the issues related to the refugees. In this regard, he said, the Union Government has issued instructions to expedite the process of the disbursement of Rs.2,000 crore allocated in favour of PoJK refugees.
Shri Labha Ram Gandhi was highly appreciative of the Central Government for its concern towards the issues of this large section of population which remains deprived of citizenship rights even after having been settled in the State of Jammu & Kashmir for the last 70 years. He said, it was for the first time that a government at the Centre had taken certain practical initiatives to address their issues and in this case, he referred to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs Order / Official Memo dated March 16, 2018, providing for one time compensation of Rs.5.5 lakh per family to the families of West Pakistan Refugees.
Shri Gandhi was also appreciative of the close cooperation and support received from Dr Jitendra Singh with whom they have been holding regular meetings in recent times. He said, it was the personal intervention of Dr Jitendra Singh which made it possible to simplify procedures and formalities for disbursement of compensation.
Ministry of Micro,Small & Medium Enterprises
Employment provided by Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises are the largest provider of employment after agriculture. As per the 73rd Round of National Sample Survey  conducted by National Sample Survey Office, Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation during the period 2015-16, the estimated number of workers in unincorporated non-agriculture MSMEs in the country engaged in different economic activities excluding the MSMEs registered under  Sections 2m of the Factories Act, 1948,  Companies Act, 1956 and  Construction activities falling under Section F of National Industrial Classification , 2008, are 11.10 crore.
Under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme  the estimated employment generated  in micro enterprises during the years 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 are 3.58 lakhs, 3.23 lakhs, 4.08 lakhs, 3.87 lakhs and 5.87 lakhs, respectively.
The Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises  was launched by the Government of India to make available collateral-free credit to the micro and small enterprise sector. Under the PMEGP scheme, the estimated employment generation has increased from 3.58 lakh to 5.87 lakh during the year 2014-15 to 2018-19.
The Ministry has established 18 Tool Rooms for integrated development of the industries by way of providing quality tools, trained personnel and consultancy in tooling and related areas and upgradation of technology. During the year 2017-18 and 2018-19, these 18 Tool Rooms provided training to 1.47 lakh and 2.08 lakh persons respectively, which has also helped them in self employment.
The Government has taken various steps for generating employment in the country like encouraging private sector of economy, fast tracking various projects involving substantial investment and increasing public expenditure on schemes like Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme , Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme , Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana  and Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana- National Urban Livelihood Mission . The Make in India, Skill India, Digital India schemes are being implemented by the Government and these are likely to enhance the employment base. MUDRA and START UP schemes have been initiated by the Government for facilitating self employment. In order to improve the employability of youth, Ministries/Departments run skill development schemes across various sectors. Government has also implemented the National Career Service  Project. Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protshahan Yojana has been initiated in the year 2016-17 for incentivizing industry for promoting employment generation.
This information was given by Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Orientation of States/UTs on Administration of Precaution Dose to 18-59 years old population at Private CVCs
Private COVID-19 Vaccination Centres can charge only up to a maximum of INR 150 as service charge for vaccination over & above the cost of vaccine
An orientation meeting of all Health Secretaries of States/UTs was held on 09th April 2022 at 10:30 am, under the chairpersonship of Secretary , regarding precaution dose for 18-59 years old population at Private CVCs.
Secretary  highlighted that the precaution dose will be of same vaccine which has been used for administration of 1st & 2nd dose. It was also informed that no fresh registrations would be required for precaution dose as all due beneficiaries are already registered on CoWIN.
It was emphasized that all vaccinations must mandatorily be recorded of CoWIN platform and both the options of ‘Online appointment’ and ‘Walk-in’ registration and vaccination will be available at Private CVCs.
The Private CVCs will maintain the vaccination sites as per the guidelines issued earlier by MoHFW. They can charge up to a maximum of INR 150 as service charge for vaccination over & above the cost of vaccine. HCWs, FLWs and Citizens aged 60 year or more, shall continue to receive precaution dose vaccination at any CVC, including free of charge vaccination at Government Vaccination Centers.
Detailed orientation of State officials was done on various new provisions made on CoWIN platform for the expansion of eligible population for precaution dose and also correction of vaccination certificates by citizens.
States/UTs were also advised to accelerate the administration of ongoing free COVID-19 vaccination with 1st dose and 2nd dose to 12+ years population and optimal administration of precaution dose for HCWs, FLWs and ≥60 years population at Govt. CVCs.
Dr. Manohar Agnani, Addl.Secy  and other senior officers of Union Health Ministry were present in the virtual meeting along with Health Secretary and NHM Mission Directors and other officials from States/UTs.
Ministry of Education
Ministry of HRD has launched NISHTHA Programme to improve learning outcomes at Elementary level through a massive Teacher Training Programme: Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’
The Department of School Education and Literacy has launched a National Mission to improve learning outcomes at the Elementary level through an Integrated Teacher Training Programme called NISHTHA – National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha in 2019-20. The aim of this training is to motivate and equip teachers to encourage and foster critical thinking in students, handle diverse situations and act as first level counsellors. They will be oriented on and develop their skills on various aspects related to Learning Outcomes, Competency Based Learning and Testing, Learner-centered Pedagogy, School Safety and Security, Personal-social qualities, Inclusive Education, ICT in teaching-learning including Artificial Intelligence, Health and well-being including yoga, Initiatives in School Education including library, eco club, youth club, kitchen garden, School Leadership qualities, Environmental Concerns, Pre-school, Pre-vocational Education and School Based Assessment in a joyful learning manner.
This integrated programme will cover around 42 lakh participants covering all teachers and Heads of Schools at the elementary level in all Government schools, faculty members of State Councils of Educational Research and Training , District Institutes of Education and Training  as well as officials and Resource Persons from Block Resource Centres  and Cluster Resource Centres  in all States and UTs.
National Council for Teacher Education  has been notified as an Academic Authority under Section 23 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education  Act, 2009 to lay down the minimum qualifications required for a person to be appointed as a teacher. Accordingly the NCTE has notified the minimum qualifications vide notification dated 25th August, 2010 as amended from time to time.
This massive capacity building programme has been integrated with technology to ensure smooth facilitation, availability of digital content and technology enabled teaching methods to support the teachers. A Mobile App and Learning Management System  have been developed by NCERT . LMS is being used for registration of Resource Persons and Teachers, dissemination of resources, training gap and impact analysis, monitoring, mentoring and measuring the progress online.
The information was given by the Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Elimination of TB
India has committed to end tuberculosis by 2025. The National Strategic Plan 2017-25 for ending TB by 2025 was developed in 2017 and included various interventions through multi-stakeholder engagement to reduce the burden of TB. These interventions are being implemented from 2017 onwards and the impact of these would be evident in the subsequent years.
Globally, the average rate of decline in the TB incidence rate was 1.8% between 2016 and 2017. In India, rate of decline in TB incidence rate was 3.3% between 2016 and 2017 as compared to 2.3% between 2015 and 2016. TB incidence further reduced by 2.5% between 2017 and 2018.
There are various types of TB tests. When a skin test is positive, it is not always a cause of worry, as the person might only have infection and not have the disease. When a sputum microscopy or molecular test is positive, a diagnosis of TB is confirmed and although a cause for concern, the patient should be promptly started on Anti-TB treatment.
It is true that Government is focusing on identifying additional cases among family contacts of people whose sputum samples have tested positive and preventive treatment is offered to those eligible below 6 years of age. In the year 2018, 83109 children <6 years of age were initiated on TB preventive therapy.
The Minister of State , Sh Ashwini Kumar Choubey stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha here today.